ZABELINSKAYA Olga

General
REPRESENTING UZBEKISTAN
In August 2018 she switched allegiance from the Russian Federation to Uzbekistan due to concerns her previous doping violation would rule her ineligible to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Her nationality switch was confirmed by the International Cycling Union [UCI] that month. She had hoped to represent Uzbekistan at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, but was deemed ineligible by the Olympic Council of Asia [OCA] after official communications from the Russian Olympic Committee and Russian Cycling Federation to approve her release to compete for Uzbekistan were not provided. Her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] was dismissed due to an OCA rule that athletes cannot represent their new country at its events for three years following a nationality switch. (tas-cas, 23 Aug 2018; eu.usatoday, 23 Aug 2018; insidethegames, 23 Aug 2018; olympics.nbcsports, 08 Aug 2018)

RIO REPRIEVE
She was one of several Russian athletes who were initially denied the opportunity to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro due to previous doping violations. However, days before the start of the Games, the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] ruled that those athletes should not be prevented from competing and she was reinstated. "On August 5th, I had my ticket to [return home] to Russia at 2 o'clock, and at 11 o'clock, on the way to the airport, they told me to stay here [in Rio de Janeiro]. It was two weeks like this, in the morning we go, in the evening we don't." She went on to win a silver medal in the individual time trial at the Games. (reuters, 11 Aug 2016; tass, 06 Aug 2016)

SANCTION
In March 2014 she tested positive for the banned substance octopamine. She did not compete for 18 months from June that year, despite maintaining her innocence. In December 2015 the anti-doping commission of the Russian Cycling Federation [RCF] cleared her of any wrongdoing, which caused the International Cycling Union [UCI] to appeal the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS]. In February 2016 the RCF announced that Zabelinskaya had reached a settlement with the UCI [an 18-month ban that expired in September 2015] that allowed her to continue competing and aim for a spot at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (fvsr, 13 Feb 2016; ria, 13 Feb 2016)

BREAK
In 2007 she began a three-year hiatus from cycling before returning in 2010. "I was tired of the sport, took a rest and came back." (Athlete, 23 Apr 2016)

She became the first road cyclist representing the Russian Federation to win three medals at the Olympic Games when she claimed silver in the individual time trial at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 24 Jan 2022)